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4 Q I Oct. 11,1921 7 RMQHN ssass LETTER FRANKING MACHI NE Filed r h 1926 :s Sheets-Sheet A i a j /n yen/0r:

I 1,645,388 1927' R. MOHN LETTER FRANKING MACHINE Filed M h 5. 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 win/1 ocn. 11, 1927. 1,645.33

R. MOHN LET TER FRANKING MACHINE Filed March 5, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 1n}- 0 (I0 I Page; oa. 11.1921.

UNITED STATES I 1,645,388 PATENT OFFICE. i

nunonr norm, or sunc'mt, swrrznnnmn, assrenon ro WILLY MULLER, or rnan,

cam-on sr. eannam swrrznanann.

nnr-rnn-rmxme mcnmn.

Application fled larch 8, 1888, Serial No. 92,078, andin Switzerland December 15, 1925. p

This invention relates to a machine for franking letters and the like or for stamping other documents, and consists in the provision of a rotatable drum-in which a plurality of'stamps are held so that they can be radially extended for cooperation with an inking rollerand with an impression roller, the drum being rotated by means of a handle which is set for extending any particular stamp and'for causing the lmpression roller to be applied to the stamp as the latter passes beneath it.

Fig. 1 represents ing with the drum and the cover the inking, mechanism removed, an

Fig. 2, a rear view of the open casing. Fig. 3 is a front view, partly in section, of the drum, and 4 Fig. 4, a section of the drum taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3. a

p Figs. 5 and 6 are views at right angles to each other of the operating handle.

' Fig. 7 is afront view of the complete machine, and

Fig. 8, a top view of the same. The machine has a flat upright casing 2 which is closed at the back by a plate 1, the latter being inte ral with a supporting base 1. The casing is connected to the plate 1 by means of screws one of which is sealed. A shaft 16 is rotatably held in the casing 2 with one end projecting through the front wall of the same. On the projecting end of the shaft, a drum 3 is loosely mounted, and outside the latter there isa. washer 3 which is secured to the shaft by means of a a front view of the machine caslate for nut and a key whereb rot'ative relative displacement is prevente A plate 39 is hinged at 39 to the washer 3'. carries at the outside an olperating handle 24 and at the inside. a beve ed lug 41. By an adjustment of the handle plate 39 about its hinge and about the axis of the shaft-16 relative to the drum, the lug can be put into engagement with any apertures 42, made'in the front wall 43 of the drum for con ling the latter to the handle and to the s aft. Opposite each slot 42 there is a stamp 46 recessed into the circumferential wall 57 ofjthe drum. The.

stamp is radially adjustable so that it can be extendedfor use and it is connected by means of a stem to a pivoted lever 45 the free end of which projects into the slot 42 3) holds the stamp normally in inoperative of the accompanying drawings The plate] of a circular series 0 where itcooperates with the lug 41 of the handle plate, the arrangement bein such. that the stamp 46 is extended when t e lug is inserted into the slot. A spring 49 (Fig. position within the drum.

An inking device is provided which consists of a ductor roller 4, an inkingroller 6, and a messenger roll 5 which latter contacts alternately with the rollers 4 and 6. The mkmg roller is mounted direct on the casing 2 in position to contact with the extended stamp and carries a pinion 58 which meshes with teeth 59 cut into the circumferential wall 57 of the drum 3 so that the roller will be rotated together with the drum. The shaft of the ductor roller 4 is extended into the casing 2 where it carries a ratchet wheel 21 (Fig. 2). A bar 14 which is connected to and o erated by a crank 15 on the shaft 16, 1s gul ed by means of a slot 19 on the ductor roller shaft and carries a pawl 20 which engages a ratchet wheel 21 so as to impart motion to the ductor roller through the shaft of the latter. A detent pawl 22 which also engages the ratchet wheel is mounted on the wall of the casing 2. The shaft 13 of the messenger roll 5 passes through a slot in the wall of the casing2 and is secured to a lever 11 which is pivoted at 12 to the casing and held substantially parallel with the bar 14. A link 17 connects the bar 14 with the lever 11 so that the latter will be rocked by the former for chan ing the position of the messenger roll. spring 18 acts on the lever 11 and tends to hold the messenger roll normally in contact with the inking roller.

An impression roller 34 is connected by means-of its shaft 33 to a lever 30 which is pivoted at 31 tothe inside of the casing wall, as'shown in Fig. 2. A spring 32 acts on the lever and. tends to pull the impression roller down against the drum 3. This is normally prevented by a cam 23 which is secured to the shaft 16 and which supports the lever 30 f by means of a slide 25. Thelatteris guided in saddle pieces 26 and 27 on the casing wall 1 and is fitted .at the ends with anti-friction rollers 28 and 29. The cam is shaped so that it allows, the impression roller to descend as the handle 24 passes together with the extended stamp.

There is a feeding table 8 connected to the casing 2 on a level with the top of the drum 3 opposite the impression roller 34. '110 Adjustable guides 9 and 10 can be set so as 3 and 7. To select any particular stamp for operation, the handle 24 is coupled to the drum, as previously described, opposite the particular stamp to be used, whereupon the drum is rotated by mean-s of the handle in the direction of the arrow. As the stamp approaches the impression roller 34, a docu ment is inserted between the latter and the drum so as to be caught by the roller when the supporting slide 25 is retracted. The stamp, which is inked as it passes the roller 6, will then be applied to the document as it passes under the impression roller.

A counting device 47 is arranged in the drum 3 for each stamp, the figures of the counters being visible in windows 44 in the drum wall 43. The operating spindle of each counter is directed towards the Stell'l of the stamp and carries a spur Wheel 50 which is axially adjustable and which is held by a spring 48 against the stem of thestamp so operated each time the stamp passes under the impression roller, the remaining wheels being held out of contact with the rack.

There is also a counteri38 which is always operated for checking purposes independently of the stamp. For operating this counterthere is a pin 54 arranged in the drum wall 43 behind each slot 42 parallel with the axis of rotation. The pins 54 are vactuated by springs which hold them normally in a forwardly projecting position. When the operating handle is coupled to the drum, the pin 54 which is situated at the selected slot 42,

is pushed back by the plate 39, and in this position, as it passes underneath the impression roller 34, it strikes against a lever 52 which then operates, by means of a shaft held in the wall of the casing 2 a lever 35 arranged inside the casing. The lever 35 is connected by a link 36 to a lever 37 which rocks the spindle of the counter 38. Thus, while the impressions-of the different stamps will be recorded individually by the counter 47 the total impressions made will be recorded by the counter 38.

To prevent the drum from being rotated in the Wrong direction, a pawl 55, held by a pivot on the drum, slides over the teeth of a ratchet wheel 56 connected to the casing 2.

I claim:

1. A letter franking machine comprising a casing, a rotatable shaft held in said casing, adrum mounted loosely on said shaft, stamps mounted in the circumference of said drum so that they can be radially extended, a crank handle hingedly secured to the shaft,

means cooperating with said handle for ex-.

tending any particular stamp, means where by the handle is coupled to the drum when a stamp is thus extended, means for inking the extended stamp, an impression roller .arranged on the casing for cooperation with the extended stamp, means permitting the feeding of documents between the impression roller and the drum, and means controlled by Said shaft for applying the impression roller to the drum as the extended stamp passes.

2. A machine according to claim 1 in which the operating means for the impression roller comprises a cam connected to the machine shaft, a spring-actuated lever pivoted to the casing' and holding the roller, and a slide which supports the'lever on said cam.

3. The structure claimed in claim 1 in addition to counters arranged in the drum close to the difierent stamps means causing the counter of an extended stamp to be operated at each complete revolution of the drum, a checking counter connected to the casing, and means for operating said checking counter at each impression.

RUDOLF MOHN. 

